Rhyming Words In Punjabi: Your #1 Guide To Fun Learning

Rhyming Words In Punjabi

Are you a fan of Punjab (ਪੰਜਾਬ) and its rich culture, particularly foot-tapping Punjabi songs and dance numbers? Then you must have noticed how rhyming words in Punjabi form the foundation of the music meter to which the song is set.

The use of rhyming words is one of the most basic concepts of poetry and songwriting, common across languages. Let’s find out how it is also beneficial in Punjabi language learning.

List Of Common Rhyming Words In Punjabi

From a linguistic point of view, a rhyme scheme is an important learning tool, especially for kids. It also comes in handy for adults attempting to learn a new language. Not only that, it adds a fun element to learning by incorporating silly, gibberish words that invoke laughter. For instance, saying Cā’a śā (chaa-shaa) in Punjabi is similar to saying fancy-schmancy in English.

EnglishPunjabiRoman Transcription
Teaਚਾਅ ਸ਼ਾCā’a śā
Chapati/ Foodਰੋਟੀ ਸ਼ੋਤੀRōṭī śōtī
Waterਪਾਣੀ ਪੂਣੀPāṇī pūṇī
Mealਖਾਣਾ ਵਾਨਾਂKhāṇā vānāṁ
Okayਠੀਕ ਠਾਕṬhīka ṭhāka
Chickenਕੁੱਕੜ ਸ਼ੁੱਕਰKukaṛa śukara
Troubleਰੋਲ ਸ਼ੋਲਾRōla śōlā
A sweetmeat ballਲੱਡੂ ਸ਼ੱਦLaḍū śadu
Doorਬੁਆ ਸ਼ੁਆBu’ā śu’ā
Marriageਸ਼ਾਦੀ ਸ਼ੂਦੀŚādī śūdī
Lassi (a yogurt based cold drink)ਲੱਸੀ ਲੂਸੀLasī lūsī

Rhyming Words As A Linguistic Tool

As you know, a rhyme or ਤੁਕਬੰਦੀ (pronounced as tukabadī) is a word with the same sound as another word with a different meaning or even a gibberish word without any meaning. Rhyme words work toward increasing the phonemic awareness of the language in the new learner, especially kids in elementary schools learning Punjabi school phrases.

Now, wait a minute! What is phonemic awareness? It is simply the ability to identify that words are made up of different sounds. This recognition helps little kids read and write better and learn a language better. This is why even toddlers are introduced to nursery rhymes early on. A nursery rhyme is the easiest way to teach language learning to a kid.

Reduplication

A rhyme scheme is a globally featured phenomenon in the linguistic circle. However, it is more pronounced as rhyming reduplication in many Indo-European and Dravidian languages. Punjabi, in particular, has the most popularly known rhyming reduplication words in its kitty, closely followed by Hindi, Bangla, Marathi, Kannada, and so on, in no particular order.

Reduplication happens when a real word is followed by a phony or gibberish word that rhymes with the first word. In linguistics, reduplication is a process wherein the root or stem of a word or a part of it, or even the whole word, is repeated exactly or with a slight change. For instance, words like easy-peasy, tuk-tuk, or ding-dong in the English language fall in the category of rhyming reduplication.

Not only this, reduplication is further divided into three more categories. Let’s take a look at these categories and some examples in the English language.

  1. Rhyming reduplication: Easy-peasy, okey-dokey, willy-nilly, helter-skelter, hurly-burly, hocus-pocus, hoity-toity, boogie-woogie, razzle-dazzle and so on.
  2. Exact reduplication: Aye-aye, bye-bye, choo-choo, tuk-tuk, blah-blah, ha-ha, and so on.
  3. Ablaut reduplications: Here, the first vowel usually is a high vowel. For instance, flip-flop, ding-dong, tick-tock, ping-pong, pitter-patter, and so on.

Reduplication In The Punjabi Language

In Indo-European and Dravidian languages, reduplication works a tad differently than the rest. Most particularly in Indic languages like Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi. The repeated word can be fixed anywhere, either at the start, middle, or end. Let us look at the various types of reduplication that exist in the Punjabi language and their usage in sentence structure.

Complete Reduplication

Here, the same word repeats itself and both words are important for making the sense or meaning of the sentence.

EnglishPunjabiRoman TranscriptionSentence In PunjabiEnglish Translation
Hurry/ Quickly ਛੇਤੀ-ਛੇਤੀChētī-chētīChētī-chētī kama kar putaraWork quickly, son.
Whereਕਿੱਥੇ-ਕਿੱਥੇKithē-kithēTū ajakala kithē-kithē ghumadā sīWhere (all) do you roam these days?
(One’s) own ਆਪਣੇ-ਆਪਣੇĀpaṇē-āpaṇēĀpaṇē-āpaṇē ghara jā’ō, hara kō’īGo to your home, everyone.

Partial Reduplication

Partial reduplication involves a repetition of words with minor changes.

EnglishPunjabiRoman TranscriptionSentence In PunjabiEnglish Translation
Teaਚਾਅ ਚੂCā’a cūCā’a cū piyō jīHave some tea, dear.
To jumpਟੱਪ ਤੁੱਪṬapa tupaPuṭa, ithē nā ṭapa tupaSon, don’t jump here.
To studyਪੜ੍ਹ-ਪੁੜ੍ਹPaṛha-puṛhaPaṛha-puṛha kē badā baṇa jāStudy and become a man!

Semantic Reduplication

Here, two repeated words are not the same, but the meaning of both words are the same.

EnglishPunjabiRoman TranscriptionSentence In PunjabiEnglish Translation
Carsਗੱਡੀਆਂ ਕਾਰਾGaḍī’āṁ kārāṁIha saṛaka gaḍī’āṁ kārāṁ nāla bharī hō’ī haiThis road is full of cars.
Eatingਖਾਣਾ ਪੀਣਾKhāṇā pīṇāKhāṇā pīṇā hō gayā?Are you done eating?
Playfulਹੱਸਦੀ ਖੇਲਦੀHasadī khēladīHamēśā hasadī khēladī rah, mērī puṭaAlways stay playful, my (girl) child.

Discontinue Word Reduplication

Here, two contiguous repeated words are differentiated by any single different word.

EnglishPunjabiRoman TranscriptionSentence In PunjabiEnglish Translation
Simultaneouslyਨਾਲੋਂ ਨਾਲNālō nālaUha nālo nāla kama vī kara rihā sī atē khāṇā vīHe was working and eating simultaneously.
One and onlyਇੱਕੋਇੱਕIkō’ikaMērā ikō’ika dila nā tōṛaDon’t break my one and only heart.
All/ everyoneਸਾਰੇ ਦੇ ਸਾਰੇSārē dē sārēSārē dē sārē ika hī gala karē jāndē haiṁEveryone keeps on talking about the same thing.

Got Interested In Punjabi?

Now, wasn’t this an interesting read? Learning Punjabi is so much fun when you have the right tools and techniques at your disposal. It need not be fancy or expensive to give you a productive experience. After all, language learning is more about how willing and flexible you are to open your mind to something new. The rest is taken care of by technique and technology.

The Ling app is an optimum amalgamation of linguistic techniques and modern technology to provide you with a unique and fulfilling language learning experience. With its gamified interface, interactive exercises, and fun quizzes, you are bound to make quick progress in your language-learning journey. Picking up a language has never been this easy!

So, without wasting much time, go to your Google Play Store or Apple App Store and download the Ling app for free now!

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